Mission Outreach continues to work toward our 2022 goals: Reach out, Invite in, Gather in. Our ongoing to commitment to accompaniment or to walk with our partners guides all that we do. Look for how these key words are used to guide our efforts this year.
Winter Farmer’s Market
The last day Ascension met in person for services before the pandemic shut us down was March 8, 2020, which was also the day of our very successful Winter Farmers’ Market in conjunction with the Food, Faith and Farming Network. Even though this was our first attempt at this event, it ended up being the most successful market of the year for the entire network. Now after two years, we are back on the schedule this year for March 13th. Lynn Parkhurst headed the market for us in 2020 and did such a good job that the Food, Faith and Farming Network hired her to be the project overall manager. We will still see her around helping our new Ascension coordinators Steve and Carol Spieker. Steve and Carol have put together a committee to plan another successful market including vendors, a brunch, BLAST activities and some special surprises. Tickets for the brunch will be on sale after services starting February 20. There will also be a chance to volunteer in a variety of ways. This event is a way to invite in by providing a space for a partnership agency and inviting community members to the event at Ascension and to gather in our members in service together. Keep your eyes out for ways to help or contact Carol and Steve directly.
Hawthorne School Partnership
Thank you to all who donated to our outdoor winter clothing drive for our partnership with Hawthorne School. The response was wonderful and the staff at Hawthorne is so grateful. Reaching out to meet their needs is one of the ways Ascension reaches out into the community.
Food Pantry
Plan to do some shopping at Meijer on March 5 and 26 and purchase a $10 gift card for the local Food Pantry. Meijer will double match your purchase on those days through their Simply Give program. This is a simple way to reach out to support one of our community partners and have your gift multiplied in a big way.
Blessing Box
Please be mindful of the weather forecast as you purchase items for the Blessing Box. Please do not place items that may be harmed by freezing in the box because it is not insulated. If you have something you want to donate, place it in the Donation Center and we will determine if it can go in the Blessing Box or the Food Pantry. The Blessing Box has less use during the very cold weather but increases as soon as we have warmer days. The Blessing Box is a way to reach out to our nearby neighbors.
Healing Hearts & NAMI
Waukesha is still seeing a need for increased mental heath services due to the stress of the ongoing pandemic and the emotional impact of the Waukesha Christmas parade. Two of our Community Partners, Healing Hearts and NAMI, are providing the much needed services. With the increase in demand for their services, there is also an increase in the need for volunteers for their programs and funding for them to be able to provide services at no cost. Please contact Shirley Wehmeier if you have an interest in helping in any way. We are hoping to reach out through volunteering and invite in for activities with these two partners this year.
Cross Church
We are collecting paper products for the Cross Food Pantry. They have asked us not to collect food items at this time. Just a reminder that they are also no longer able to use the empty medicine bottles so we are not able to accept them in the Donation Center. This is a way we walk with our partners at Cross during the pandemic.
Outreach For Hope
Outreach for Hope has several ways we can walk with them in the next few months.
2022 Super Bowl Sunday Food Drive: As we begin to prepare for that time-honored tradition of celebrating the best football teams of the year at the Super Bowl, Outreach for Hope is asking us to join another Super Bowl tradition: sharing the gift of food with people who are hungry. The Outreach for Hope Ministers to congregations where hunger is a great concern and filling that need is one of the goals of the Greater Milwaukee Synod. On any given day throughout our year, over 40,000 people in Milwaukee County alone go hungry. Would you consider sharing food with those who aren’t able to feed their families this winter?
- Option 1: As you purchase groceries for your Super Bowl celebration, purchase a few HEALTHY food items for others in need. The food can be donated to one of the Outreach for Hope Ministry Partners who help to feed the hungry or bring the donations to church and we will take them to the Waukesha Food Pantry.
- Option 2: If you’re not able to purchase and deliver food, consider making a monetary donation to OFH 2022 Super Bowl Food Drive. 100% of your donation will be shared with their Ministry Partners, so they can purchase the exact food items that will serve their clients best. $50 would feed a family of four for several days!
Together In Hope: Stories of Partnership is the title of this year’s Lenten devotions beginning Ash Wednesday, March 2. The devotions will be available Mondays through Saturdays through Holy Week. They will be releasing 40 days of video on YouTube, and written devotion transcripts through a variety of mediums. Sign-up on at outreachforhope.org/lenten-devotions/.
